The E. coli currently making its way through Europe is "a new strain of bacteria that is highly infectious and toxic" according to scientists at the Beijing Genomics Institute who have sequenced the microbe’s genome.

We've previously highlighted that drug-resistant bacteria are fairly common in food animals on farms. One explanation for why we might find resistant bacteria in these food animals is that animal farming operations frequently use antibiotics to keep animals from getting sick in their crowded, often dirty quarters; this may encourage the local emergence of drug resistance as a result of antibiotic selection pressure. Even though this explanation is intuitive, there is little direct evidence to support the theory.

Scientists in Britain have discovered that household products such as shampoos, detergents, and disinfectants may contribute to an increase in antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in the environment. These products are are washed into the water supply from homes and factories, eventually ending up in rivers and groundwater. Bacteria resistant to the compounds found in household products survive and multiply, and may spread to humans through contact with contaminated soil and water.

Ethanol production. Evidently, unwanted bacteria cause problems in the production of ethanol, in addition to causing troublesome infections in humans and animals. Common bacteria present in corn mixes prevent the formation of ethanol, producing lactic acid instead. To forestall this development, ethanol producers use antibiotics in distilling ethanol, Forbes reports.

In today’s New York Times, op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof switches gears from his usual discussions of the genocide in Darfur or sex trafficking in Cambodia to a subject much closer to home – MRSA infections and the U.S. hog farm industry.

Maya recently highlighted how production of inexpensive meat, bolstered by widespread use of antibiotics to keep farmed animals from developing infections, may indirectly cause humans substantial harm through the development of antibiotic resistance. These animal farming operations, as well as our own healthcare systems, rely on antibiotics to be available at fairly low prices.

Production of cheap food has significant costs—to government, the environment and public health. Use of antibiotics and concern over resistant bacteria were issues raised during a panel discussion on food safety regulation at Resources for the Future today.